In an interview published on 3 February 2020, Angolan President João Lourenço said that his government would not negotiate with those who had allegedly taken their assets out of Angola illegally. This was a thinly veiled reference to Isabel dos Santos, the billionaire former chairperson of state oil company Sonangol, who is currently the subject …
Lesotho’s ongoing political turmoil took on added dimension on 11 January 2020 when an arrest warrant was issued for First Lady Maesaiah Thabane. This came after she failed to report for questioning about the 2017 murder of Prime Minister Tom Thabane’s estranged first wife Lipolelo Thabane who was shot and killed outside Maseru on 14 …
As widely anticipated, Namibia’s general election on 27 November 2019 returned the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) and President Hage Geingbob to power. However, the significant drop in the margin of victory for both indicates that electoral competition in the country is on the up and future assumptions of an easy win for the …
Botswana’s political system is often held up as an example of stability, peace and institutional strength on the continent. Its only major flaw, perhaps, being that it is somewhat too predictable. Indeed, the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has run the diamond-rich country of two million people since independence (1966) and, as the recent general …
Both major opposition parties – the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo/Resistência Nacional Moçambicana) and the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM/Movimento Democrático de Moçambique) – have rejected the provisional results of Mozambique’s 15 October 2019 election due to allegations of voter fraud and intimidation and have called for the election to be annulled and held again. While …
Mozambique will hold its national general election, including the presidential, legislative and provincial elections, on 15 October 2019 in a vote which is expected to substantially change the political environment in the country. This is because this election will be the first national ballot under the new decentralised system allowing provincial assemblies to elect governors …
The seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) took place in Yokohama from 28 to 30 August 2019. At least 32 African leaders attended the conference which is Japan’s main tool for managing its relationship with Africa. TICAD 7 was themed “Advancing Africa’s Development through People, Technology and Innovation” TICAD was first held …
Botswana is experiencing unprecedented levels of political instability ahead of its 24 October 2019 general election. Its source is a persistent schism within the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) which has anchored the country’s politics since independence in 1966. Infighting is rooted in a public fallout between current BDP and national President Mokgweetsi Masisi and …
Despite all expectations, there has been little material improvement in Zimbabwe under the new government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The currency crisis which underpins inflation, massive unemployment, widespread impoverishment, and the virtual collapse of vital public services in the health and education sectors is, inarguably, worse than ever. The political system too, remains firmly on …
On 12 July 2019, al-Shabaab militants launched a terrorist attack on a hotel in Somalia’s city of Kismayo killing at least 26 and injuring over 50. While this type of attack has long been a frequent occurrence in Somalia it was not always a continental phenomenon. Militant terrorist organisations are increasingly widespread across sub-Saharan Africa, …